Twice Betrayed – Segment 1
Hanging up the phone I shook my head in bafflement. Sora must be telling crazy stories to her mother again. How else could Sora be at the movies with Yolei when she was supposed to be shopping with Kari?
I sat in the overstuffed armchair my dad had bought last year, and picked up my guitar. I couldn't concentrate right. Something was bothering me about this situation with Sora. I couldn't really put my finger on the reason why, but I remained uneasy.
The phone rang. It was probably dad, calling to say he'd be home late.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Matt. It's Tai. Can I come over, man? I can't really talk about this over the phone."
"Sure. Dad won't be home for a while and I could use some company."
I hung up the phone. Tai was probably having problems with his girlfriend again. For some reason he never would tell me her name. Said she was shy and didn't want people gossiping about her behind her back.
Tai was at my door in less than five minutes. He must have called from the pay phone just outside the apartment building.
"Have a seat, Tai. Make yourself at home." My usual line, but Tai knew what it meant. He knew I'd wait until he was ready to tell me about whatever it was.
I played a couple of songs on my guitar. Tai liked to hear me play. He said so often, and believed him for another reason than what he gave me.
The song trailed away in an unfinished chord when I noticed that Tai was crying. His girl must really have hurt him. It wasn't fair really. I wanted to hurt this girl for hurting Tai. You might think of that as a jealous reaction, and maybe it is, but I just didn't want to see my friend hurting so much.
Tai was in the bathroom trying to halt his tears. It really must be bothering him, his crying. He has cried in front of me before, but it wasn't anything like this.
I decided to do a little cleaning while Tai was absent. Not that the apartment was messy, mind you, but it was something I could do to keep my mind occupied. I noticed Tai's cell phone between the couch cushions. I went to place it in Tai's coat pocket (his coat was hanging hap-hazardously on the back of one dining room chair), when it rang. Being the good friend I answered to let the caller know Tai wasn't available.
It was Sora.
"Hi, Tai." She gushed. "My cousin cancelled our lunch date, and I thought you'd like to go out to a movie with me. What do you say, Tai?"
Tai had just stumbled out of the bathroom. He hesitated as he entered the living room. From the look on his face, he didn't know what to do.
"I don't know Sora. Why don't you ask Tai?" Silence on the other end. I threw the phone at Tai. I knew now why I had been so uneasy, why Tai always seemed to be having troubles in love at the same time as I was. We were dating the same girl.
I ran for my room. I closed the door just before my vision blurred and the tears began to fall like rain.
